September is shaping up to be a busy month in European health and life sciences funding. For organisations working in cancer, rare diseases, digital health, clinical trials, biotech and health innovation, several major consortium-style opportunities are coming up. This includes Horizon Europe Mission Cancer, EDCTP3, ERDERA, Digital Europe and IHI calls.

These programmes share a common feature: they fund large, impact-driven consortia that combine clinical, academic and industry expertise. Preparing a competitive proposal in this context requires strong science, clear integration, credible implementation pathways and a well-structured consortium. Below you’ll find their specifics to find the ones best suited for your consortium or public private partnership:

Horizon Europe Mission Cancer

The 2026 Mission Cancer calls support integrated projects on prevention, early detection, treatment and quality of life for people living with and beyond cancer. They come with substantial budgets and expect applicants to show how results connect to mission infrastructures such as UNCAN.eu and European data platforms, and how they will translate into better outcomes for patients and health systems. They favour networks that already link cancer centres, registries, data/AI teams and patient organisations, and can build on existing mission-related structures.

ERDERA clinical trial call

ERDERA’s planned clinical trial call focuses on rare diseases, with emphasis on cross-border recruitment, harmonised protocols and data sharing across multiple centres. Consortia typically need to connect specialised clinical sites, patient organisations, registries and methodological expertise to achieve sufficient power and robust outcomes in small patient populations.

Digital Europe

The Digital Europe health calls target deployment rather than early‑stage research. Apply AI is for consortia with near‑market imaging AI for hospital IT and workflows across multiple countries. The skills call is for actors who can deliver large‑scale, practice‑oriented training on digital and AI tools for the health workforce. The EHDS “best use” calls suit teams with concrete secondary‑use cases that can stress‑test data access, governance and interoperability in an EHDS‑style environment.

EDCTP3

EDCTP3’s CSA calls focus on structured capacity building, not new technology development. They target consortia that can use existing trial networks to strengthen ethics, regulatory and pharmacovigilance systems, and that embed proven digital and AI tools into real health system workflows in sub-Saharan Africa. The calls have an emphasis on coordination, workforce development and operational responsiveness.

Below is an overview of the upcoming calls and deadlines.